The Ex I'd Love to Hate (The Lasker Brothers #3)

by Nadia Lee

To you, for opening this book.

He seems to believe that I’m challenging his authority with my questions, when all I want is clarification and deeper explanation.

From what I overheard, Grant’s mom is a famous photographer and his dad is some hotshot movie producer in Hollywood.

I’m not going to be poor forever.

So long as I work hard, everything is within reach.

Life’s too short, and there are plenty of fish in the ocean.

“What happened?” I say, more out of reflex than curiosity. It’s a habit I acquired dealing with Mom. Athena Grant doesn’t handle being ignored well.

Dad had a vasectomy fail, and fathered sons with seven different women before he discovered it. We were all born within four months of each other, named after our mothers—because Dad couldn’t bother to come up with seven original names—and spent our formative years together, exiled to fancy European boarding schools that Dad paid for to make himself look good.

Most of the mothers get along, but mine has a personality conflict, especially with Huxley’s mom. Not sure why. Jeremiah is a sensible woman.

Mom has a two-hundred-plus IQ. Everything bores her, and Harvard wouldn’t be an exception.

Should I remind her that I—thankfully—got my brain from her and I’d be bored in that cold, dank institution?

My brother Griffin often says his mother is dramatic. He hasn’t seen anything until he’s seen mine go into a temper tantrum.

None of us are going to sleep with her before the semester’s over—and a week from now, none of us will even remember this conversation.

You’re only young for so long, so you should make it count.”

But Aspen isn’t like that. I want to get to know her and figure out what makes her tick. Or if she’s hiding some nefarious plot to screw me over later.

“Have dinner with me.”

“W...

“I said, have dinner ...

“Are you ...

“...

“...

When she doesn’t elaborate, I say...

“No, I’m not having dinner...

Did she just turn me down? Girls never turn me down, no matter how angry ...

“Yeah, well, I’m not...

“It’s a free dinner.” The magic words that would make most co...

“And?” She scoffs. “What am I? A c...

“I just want to thank you f...

She shrugs. “It didn’t cost me anything. And I already said you’re welcome.” But the tightness in her voice betrays her annoyance. I bet she ground her teeth as she added my name to the paper. “If you really want to thank me, show up for class. That way, the next time I’m forced to...

The right guy is going to be someone who makes me feel like the center of the universe.

Unlike me and some of our other brothers, Emmett has a normal mother who does motherly things for him.

I feel like an unlicensed doctor.

They need to invent meds that deliver instant results.

“I’m going to wait until you’re done so I can clean up.”

“You don’t have to. I can do it later,”

“Nah. That’s the nurs...

She gives me a small smile. “Are ...

“For you, yes. And an awe...

Listen, I don’t care who your parents are. They aren’t here—you are. I’m talking to you, not them. So if you act like a jerk, I’m going to treat you like a jerk.”

I stare at her. She’s serious. She doesn’t give a shit about anything but me—my behavior, my attitude. When she lays her eyes on me, she sees me, Grant Ares Lasker, not Ted Lasker or Athena Grant lurking in the background.

The world seems to tilt. I matter to this woman. But the feeling is quickly followed by embarrassment. I’ve been a dick to her because I let...

If I sleep with a guy, it’s going to be with somebody I can’t imagine not being with. Someone who I feel happy and content with just by being together. I want what my grandparents have.

love comes when you least expect it, not when you’re ready.”

Although she isn’t wearing much makeup, she looks so pretty that I can’t even blink.

“Didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“You couldn’t have disappointed me.”

Part of me wants to know what Aspen thinks of me, but there’s also a part that doesn’t. As long as I don’t know, I can pretend she thinks I’m as amazing as the creators of the tango.

By the way, this is one of the reasons why I haven’t danced since I came here, even though I love it. It’s hard to find a partner who’s good and has the right schedule.”

Bad as it sounds, I’m happy she hasn’t been able to find a decent partner. I don’t like the idea of some other guy holding her.

I have a feeling you’re becoming one of the very few things that do matter. And I like that. It’s new and exciting.